Written answers
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Education and Training Provision
Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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748. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a detailed plan on how the National Training Fund will be expanded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53521/25]
James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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For more than twenty years, the National Training Fund (NTF) has played a key role in Ireland’s workforce transformation, upskilling employees, preparing jobseekers, and supporting lifelong learning.
Budget 2025 delivered a significant investment through the NTF Funding Package, allocating an additional €1.485 billion to the tertiary education sector over six years from 2025 to 2030:
- €650m funding package for Higher Education, increasing funding by a further €150m per annum by 2030;
- €600m capital uplift to enable skills development, including facilities in the areas of healthcare and veterinary skills and further education skills; supporting universal access to skill provision; and the research sector (including an increase in the PhD stipend);
- €235m for the tertiary sector as one-off current funding including skills and apprenticeships.
I am bringing a Memorandum to Government the week commencing 6th of October seeking approval to publish the National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025. This Bill makes minimal amendments to the NTF Act to provide for capital expenditure from the NTF. It will ensure that the new NTF expenditure announced in Budget 2025 can be provided from 2026 onwards.
I can assure the Deputy that expenditure under this package will continue to be in line with the purposes of the Act to raise the skills of those in employment; to provide training to those who wish to acquire skills for the purposes of taking up employment; or to provide information in relation to existing, or likely future requirements for skills in the economy.
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